Device and method for cleaning or drying wire and other strand material



March 26, 1940. M955 2,194,565 DEVICE Am) METHOD FOR CLEANING on DRYING WIRE AND OTHER STRAND MATERIAL Filed March 5, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 26, 1940. J. B. Moss DEVICE AND METHOD FOR CLEANING 0R DRYING WIRE AND OTHER STRAND MATERIAL Filed March 5, 1958 2 Sheets-=Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 26, 1940 UNITED STATES DEVICE METHOD FOR CLEANING OR DRYING WIRE AND OTHER STRAND MA- TERIAL John B. Moss, Providence, R. 1., assignor to Kennecott' Wire and Cable Company, Phillipsdale, R. 1., a corporation of Rhode Island Application March 5, 1938, Serial No. 194,234

9 Claims.

This invention relates to an improvement in devices and methods by means of which wire or other strand material may have excess or undesired liquid or other materials removed from its surface.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a superior device and method by means of which undesired material may be readily and effectively dried or removed from the surfaces of wire or other strand material without injury to the said surfaces.

Another object is to provide a superior device and method by means of which excess or un- .sired liquids or other material may be thoroughly and rapidly removed from wire or the like by combined sweeping (by means of air or the like) and a partial vacuum.

A further object is to provide an improved method and device whereby wire or otherstrand material may be effectively cleaned or dried while such strand material is in rapid lengthwise motion.

With the above and other objects in view, as will appear to those skilled in the art from the present disclosure, this invention includes all features in the said disclosure which are novel over the prior art.

In the accompanying drawings, in which certain modes of carrying out the present invention are shown for illustrative purposes:

Fig. 1 is a schematic view mainly in side elevation and partly in section illustrating the cleaning or drying device of the present invention, in combination with reels, pulleys and a liquid bath;

Fig. 2 is a view mainly in side elevation of the cleaning or drying device of the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a top or plan view thereof, with the strand material in section;

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 55 of Fig. 4.

The particular apparatus herein chosen for the illustration of the present invention includes a cleaning or drying device designated as a whole by the reference character20, and comprising an inverted cup-shaped body-member 2| having an annular air-distributing chamber 22 therein and closed at its lower end by a removable plugmember, generally designated by the reference character 23, and which is provided with an annular flange 24 seated in an annular recess 25 formed in the lower end of the body-member 2|. For the purpose of retaining the plug-member 23 in the body-member 2|, an annular series of screws 26 pass upwardly through the flange 24 of the said plug-member in which latter they are countersunk, and into threaded engagement with suitable threaded bores in an annular inwardly projecting flange 21 formed integral with the said body-member 2| and providing aseat against which the flange 24 of the said plug-member 23 is held by the screws 26.

The body-member 2| and hence the part organized therewith may, if desired, be conveniently mounted upon a platform 28 or other suitable support'by means of a series of screws 29 passing downwardly through equidistant perforations 30 formed in an annular outwardly projecting flange 3| formed integral with the lower portion of the body-member 2 Each of the said screws 29 projects downwardly and engages with athreaded bore 32, one of which is formed in the platform 28in line with each of the equidistant passages 30 in the said flange 3|.

The plug-member 23 which in effect forms a unit with the body-member 2| is formed at its upper end with a substantially conical though slightly convex air-passage 33, the smaller end of which leads into a constricted substantially cylindrical throat-portion 34 located about midway the height of the said plug-member 23. Leading downwardly from the throat-portion 34 just referred to is a substantially conical airpassage flaring downwardly and outwardly and arranged coaxially with the airepassages 33 and the throat-portion fl above referred to and also coaxilly with respect to a clearance-passage 36 in the platform 28 beforedescribed.

' The integral upper end-wall 31 of the bodymember 2| is provided with a threaded bore or passage 38 arranged axially in line with the airpassages 33 and 35 and the throat-portion 34 and clearance-passage 36 before referred to. Mounted in the threaded passage 38 just referred to is a nozzle-member generally designhated by the reference character 39 and including an externally-threaded body-portion 40, a polygonal head-portion 4| located above the endwall 31 of the body-member 2|, and a conically contoured downwardly and inwardly tapering tip 42 projecting into the air-passage 33 in the plugmember 23, as especially well shown in Fig. 4. The said nozzle-member 39 is formed in its tip 42 with a passage 43 of considerably lesser crosssectional area than the cross-sectional area of the throat 34 of the plug-member 23, and intersecting at its upper end a relatively large diameter coaxial passage 44 which extends upwardly through the body-portion and the head-portion 4|, through the outer face of which latter the said passage 44 communicates with the atmosphere.

' For the purpose of passing wire or other strand material 45 lengthwise through the cleaning or drying device 20, any suitable apparatus may be employed but as herein shown, a wind-up reel or spool 48 is employed and is preferably driven by a suitable driving mechanism (not shown) so strand material from the reel or spool 5i.

as to wind up the strand material at a predetermined rate so as to control the passage of the said strand material through the cleaning or drying device 20. In connection with copper wire of relatively fine sizes, a speed of approximately fifteen hundred linear feet per minute has been found quite satisfactory, though obviously the speed at which the strand material moves through the device 20 will vary with conditions.

Before passing to the reel or spool 46, the strand material 45 may be passed over an idler pulley 41 positioned with relation to a lower idler pulley 48 so as to maintain the reach 49 of the said strand material substantially in the center of the various passages 33, 34, 35, 36, 43 and 44, to thus avoid having the said strand material contact with the interior surfaces of the device 20.

Before reaching the idler pulley 48 the strand material 45 passes diagonally downwardly from a third idler pulley 50 which latter in turn receives the said strand material from a spool or reel 5! located slightly below and to the left of the said idler pulley 50.

The idler pulley 48 may if desired and as shown in Fig.1, be immersed in a liquid bath 52 in a container 53 which may contain cooling water, liquid coating material or any other desirable and suitable material.

For the purpose of illustrating a use of the present invention, let it be assumed that the 'container 53 is filled or substantially filled with water to wash the surface of the wire or other Undersuch conditions, as the strand material passes upwardly from the bath 52 and thence through the cleaning or drying device 20, air or other suitable gaseous material will be fed under pressure to the distributing chamber 22 in the bodymember 2! from a supply-pipe 54. The said supply-pipe is, as shown, connected into an air-inlet port 55 in the side-wall of the said body-member 2i. The air or other gaseous material continuously fed from the supply-pipe 54 will circulate in the distributing chamber 22 completely around the upper portion ofthe plug-member 23 and the tip 42 of the nozzle-member 39 so that the said air will flow over the upper edge of the said plug-member and into the tapered relatively-thin annular space formed between the convex walls of the air-passage 33 and the tip 42 of the nozzle-member 39, thence through the throat-portion 34 and downwardly through the conical passage 35 and clearance-passage 36 for emergence to the atmosphere.

In passing, as above described, the air entering the distributing chamber 22 from the supplypipe 54 will be at super-atmospheric pressure in the said distributing chamber, at sub-atmospheric pressure immediately below the tip 42 of the nozzle-member 39 and in the throat-portion 34, and at super-atmospheric pressure in the zone below the said throat-portion 34. The effect will be to create a sub-atmospheric pressure in the passage 43 in the tip 42 with the consequence that air will be continuously drawn downwardly as indicated by the arrows A in Fig. 4, through the passage 44 and thence pass rapidly through the passage 43 into the distributing-chamber 22,

from whence it emerges at a relatively slow ve-' locity through passages 35 and 36.

As the strand material 45 moves through the cleaning or drying device 20, preferably in a direction opposite to the air streams described, the cleaning and coolingwater on its surface from the contents of the container 53 will be erfectively removed from its surface together with other particles of foreign matter such, for instance, as dust or the like, by the said air streams sweeping along the strand material. Apparently, the sub-atmospheric pressure in the passage 43 of the tip 42 of the nozzle-member 39 (which may be equivalent to fourteen inches of vacuum), will "flash off, so to speak, such moisture or such other undesired fluid as may remain upon the surface of the strand when the same passes through the said passage 43, by the resultant lowering of the vaporization point by the subatmospheric pressure referred to.

The various air streams, above referred to, laterally surround the strand material 45 and in effect assume a tubular form and travel lengthwise in parallelism with the strand material, preferably though not necessarily in a direction opposite to the movement of the said strand material.

The invention may be carried out in other specific ways than those herein set forth without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics of the invention, and the present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein.

I claim:

1. A method for removing adhering substance from the surface-area of wire or other substantially non-absorptive strand material, the said method comprising: causing continuous flow of a gas at pressure other than atmospheric pressure in the vicinity of strand material; passing strand material lengthwise through the said vicinity; causing the said gas to travel in a confined tubular stream'laterally surrounding the said strand material, to acquire therefrom a substance adhering to the surface-area of the said strand material; and accomplishing the said acquisition of the adhering substance and the carrying off of the same by causing the confined tubular gasstream to move in parallelism with the lengthwise movement of the said strand material and to gradually diverge and pass into a free dispersion-area.

2. A method for removing adhering substance from the surface-area of wire or other substantially non-absorptive strand material, the said method comprising: causing continuous flow of a gas at pressure other than atmospheric pressure in the vicinity of strand material; passing strand material lengthwise through the said vicinity; causing the said gas to travel in a confined tubular stream laterally surrounding the said strand material, to acquire therefrom a substance adhering to the surface-area of the said strand material; and accomplishing the said acquisition of the adhering substance and the carrying off of the same by causing the confined tubular gasstream to move in parallelism with and in the direction opposite to the direction of the said lengthwise movement of the said strand material and to gradually diverge and pass into a .fre dispersion-area.

3. A method for removing adhering substance fromthe surface-area of wire or other substantially non-absorptive strand material, the said method comprising: causing continuous flow of gas at pressure other than atmospheric pressure in. the vicinity of strand material; causing least some of the gas to flow at sub-atmospheric pressure; passing strand material lengthwise iii) through the said vicinity; causing the said gas to travel in a confined tubular stream laterally surrounding the saidstrand material, to acquire therefrom a substance adhering to the surfacearea of the said strand material; and accomplishing the said acquisition of the adhering substance and the carrying off of the same by causing the confined tubular gas-stream to move in parallelism with the lengthwise movement of the strand material and to gradually diverge and pass into a free dispersion-area.

4. A method for removing adhering substance from the surface-area of wire or other substantially non-absorptive strand material, the said method comprising: causing continuous flow of a gas at pressure other than atmospheric .pressure in the vicinity of strand material; causing at least some of the gas to fiowat sub-atmos-,

pheric pressure; passing strand material lengthwise through the said vicinity; causing the said gas to travel in a confined tubular stream laterally surrounding the said strand material, to acquire therefrom a substance adhering to the surface-area of the said strand material; and accomplishing the said acquisition of the adhering substance and the carrying off of the same by causing the confined tubular gas-stream to move in parallelism with and in the direction opposite to the direction of the said lengthwise movement of the strand material and to gradually diverge and pass into a free dispersion area.

5. A method for-removing adhering substance from the surface-area of wire or other substantially non-absorptive strand material, the said method comprising: causing continuous flow of a gas at pressure in the vicinity of strand material other than atmospheric pressure; causing some of the gas to flow at super-atmospheric pressure, andfcausing some of the gas to flow at sub-atmospheric pressure; passing strand material lengthwise through the said vicinity; causing the said gas to combine and to travel in a confined tubular stream laterally surrounding the said strand material, to acquire therefrom a substance adhering to the surface-area of the said strand material; and accomplishing the said acquisition of the adhering substance and the carrying oil of the same by causing the confined tubular gas-stream to move in parallelism with the lengthwise movement of the strand material and to gradually diverge and pass into a free dispersion area.

6. A method for removing adhering substance from the surface-area of wire or other substantially non-absorptive strand material, the said method comprising: causing continuous flow of a gas at pressure other than atmospheric pressure in the vicinity of strand material; causing some of the gas to fiow at super-atmospheric pressure and causing some of the gas to flow at sub-atmospheric pressure; passing strand material lengthwise through the said vicinity; causing the said gas to combine and to travel in a confined tubular str earn laterally surrounding the said strand material, to acquire therefrom a substance adhering to the surface-area of the said strand material; and accomplishing the said acquisition of the adhering substance and the carrying off of the same by causing the confined tubular gas-stream to move in parallelism with and in the direction opposite to the direction of the said lengthwise movement of the strand material and to gradually diverge and pass into a free dispersion area.

7. A method for removing adhering substance from the surface-area of wire or other substantially non-absorptive strand material, the said method comprising: causing continuous fiow of a gas at pressure other than atmospheric pressure in the vicinity of strand material; causing some of the gas to flow at super-atmospheric pressure and a following portion of the gas to flow at sub-atmospheric pressure; passing strand material lengthwise through the said vicinity; causing the gas to combine and to travel in a confined tuhular stream laterally surrounding the said strand material, to acquire therefrom a substance adhering to the surface-area of the said strand material; and accomplishing the said acquisition of the adhering substance and the carrying off of the same by causing the confined tubular gas-stream to move in parallelism with the lengthwise movement of the strand material, and to gradually diverge and pass into a free dispersion-area; the passage of the strand material being through the portions of the gas flowing at super-atmospheric pressure and at sub-atmospheric pressure in the order named.

8. A method for removing adhering substance from the surface area of wire or other substantially non-absorptive strand material, the said method comprising: causing continuous flow of a gas at pressure other than atmospheric pressure in the vicinity of strand material; causing some of the gas to flow at super-atmospheric pressure and a following portion of the gas to flow at sub-atmospheric pressure; passing strand material lengthwise through the said vicinity: causing the gas to combine and to travel in a confined tubular stream laterally surrounding the said strand material, to acquire therefrom a substance adhering to the surface-area of the said strand material; and accomplishing the said acquisition of the adhering substance and the carrying off of the same by causing the confined tubular gas-stream to move in parallelism with and in the direction opposite to the direction of the said lengthwise movement of the strand material, and to gradually diverge and pass into a free dispersion-area; the passage of the said strand material being through the portions of the gas flowing at super-atmospheric pressure and at sub-atmospheric pressure in the order named.

9. A device of the class described, comprising: a body-structure having a distributing-chamber therein constructed and arranged to substantially surround strands of material moving there through; an air-inlet port communicating with the said distributing-chamber and adapted to be connected to a source of air under pressure; an air-outlet passage also in the said body-structure and having an intermediate throat-portion and two oppositely-tapering portions communicating at their smaller ends with the said throat-portion; and a second air-inlet passage having airreceiving and air-delivering portions and ar-' ranged coaxiaily with respect to the said air-outlet passage, the said second air-inlet passage having a minimum cross-sectional area materiallydess than the minimum cross-sectional area of the said air-outlet passage.

JOHN B. MOSS. 

